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Regina Symphony Orchestra in Yorkton

The Regina Symphony Orchestra is hitting the road. The Music on the Road program is meant to take the symphonies to communities outside of Regina and give people a taste of the symphony.
Regina Symphony Orchestra

The Regina Symphony Orchestra is hitting the road. The Music on the Road program is meant to take the symphonies to communities outside of Regina and give people a taste of the symphony. They will be in Yorkton as part of the Stars for Saskatchewan series on March 1.

Gordon Gerrard, music director of the RSO, says that this year will be a big year for the road trip, in a very literal way. The symphony is taking more people on the road with them, with twenty-five musicians making the trip to communities in southern Saskatchewan.

“It gives people more of an insight into our range of possibilities.”

Gerrard promises a diverse mix of music in the program, ranging from strictly classical to something more pop. That will include a Mozart symphony, a range of music from South Pacific and Rhapsody in Blue with Gerrard on piano.

“It’s a snapshot of what we do in a regular season. We try to present things for different tastes, so there’s a little bit of everything. If you’re a hardcore classical fan, we’ve got Mozart. If you’re more into pop and musical theatre, we’ve got South Pacific.”

The program for the show on the road is a reflection of the RSO’s focus when planning their regular season, bringing something for everyone and for wildly different tastes. Whether it’s the music of Beethoven or that of James Bond, Gerrard feels it’s important to respond to different tastes when planning a program.

“I don’t want it ever to seem like we’re putting priority on one over the other. It is really important to me that people feel like we’ve got them covered.”

The ability to play a wide range of music is also a testament to the ability of the musicians in the group, and Gerrard is continually impressed by the talent in the RSO.

“That’s the thing about an orchestra like this with so many fantastic players, the versatility is astounding really. They can play anything, and we do.”

This is Gerrard’s first season with the RSO, and  as it’s his first time out to many of these communities. That was part of the reason behind bringing a bigger orchestra for the on the road program, he wants to give communities outside of Regina the opportunity to see the full symphony.

“For people in Yorkton who may not necessarily easily get to Regina, it’s important for us to enrich their lives as much as we enrich the lives of people in Regina proper.”

The RSO will be in Yorkton on March 1 at the Anne Portnuff Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at ticketpro.ca.